Pride & Prejudice & Space Travelling Norse Gods
by MorgandeGorlois
Summary: Thor as Mr Bingley and Loki as the ultimate Mr Darcy that you've all been waiting for... I have incorporated a little of the divine Miss Austen's actual text and dialogue but it is mine for the most part and will naturally divert from the plot of the novel because it's Thor and Loki and the Norns only know where this will end up.


"Lizzie! Jane! Have you seen? Mr Bingley has arrived and he has brought a companion!" Lydia planted herself on the chair next to Elizabeth, out of breath and somewhat rosy of cheek from her exertions on the dance floor.

Elizabeth Bennett shared an exchange of amused glances with Jane as their younger sister fanned herself furiously.

"I have." Elizabeth replied, " Mama will be beside herself."

Indeed, across the room Mrs Bennett was engaged in expressive conversation with Charlotte Lucas that was evidently focused on the newly arrived Mr Bingley. Elizabeth overheard the phrase 'most agreeable' at least thrice and smiled to herself with a shake of her head.

"Papa is so obliging of her," Elizabeth continued, "Mama was almost speechless with gratitude when he announced he had called at Netherfield so that we could be introduced."

Do you think he will ask one of us to dance?" Lydia gushed, "Wouldn't it be grand if our Jane married him? He is quite enormous, I have never seen a gentleman so very tall as he though his friend is almost a match..."

"In height, certainly, he is almost Mr Bingley's equal but his temperament seems far removed from the other. He is better pleased with himself than what he sees, I think."

Elizabeth cast an eye in the direction of the two gentlemen and it seemed the raven haired companion of Mr Bingley was also sizing up the room as his piercing green eyes settled on Elizabeth in turn. His features were very handsome indeed, finely sculpted though pale in comparison to Mr Bingley and the proud, smug grin he wore was a stark contrast to his amiable friend.

"He does have a very sour face..."

"Lydia, hush. It seems Mr Bingley is coming over. Oh, and mama too, she is determined he will not escape her attentions."

" My darling, Lizzie!" Mrs Bennett arrived with a flourish of her hankerchief and professed to look surprised at Mr Bingley's simultaneous arrival.

"Mrs Bennet, I am honoured to meet you..." Mr Bingley was most handsome indeed. His long blonde hair was tied back, giving him a rakish air. His imposing height and physique were both admirable though they were softened by his twinkling blue eyes and buoyant smile.

"The pleasure is all ours, Mr Bingley. Do let me introduce you to my daughters of which I have five. Jane, my eldest, and Lizzie. This is Lydia, and Kitty and Mary you see on the dance floor. How are you enjoying Netherfield? We were all so pleased to hear that it had been taken at last, such a fine house."

"Delightful. I find that..." Mr Bingley started.

"It is wonderful that you have come tonight, gentlemen are scarce and there are too many ladies without partners." Mrs Bennet gave Jane a gentle shove. " And you brought a friend too, will he be dancing also?"

"I'm afraid that Mr Darcy is not ...disposed to dancing but I would be most honoured, Miss Bennett, " he held a hand out to Jane, " if you would grant me the honour of the next two dances?"

"What an agreeable young man, he seems very taken with our Jane!" Mrs Bennett scarcely waited until the pair had moved away to express yet another, loud opinion.

Elizabeth blushed a little at her mother's lack of discretion and found herself catching the eye once again of the proud and unsociable Mr Darcy who remained standing nearby despite the very large number of ladies without a dance partner. She looked away quickly, quite sure that his intensity of gaze was not borne of approval.

Mrs Bennett turned her attentions to Mrs Philips, commenting in a voluable manner that it was extremely discourteous for any gentleman to leave so many ladies sitting out the dances and her tone hardly diminished even when the two ladies crossed to the other side of the room.

Elizabeth felt the weight of Mr Darcy's uncompromising stare boring into her - so much so that her light embarrassment, initially only caused by her mother's impropriety, grew into a hot flush across her cheeks as she felt her entire family were being weighed in the balance by this silent gentleman and found wanting.

—-

"Thor, I just about understand the need for this charade of ridiculous costumes and human identities but was it really necessary to come to this most dull of parties?" The so-called Mr Darcy hissed his disapproval as his brother finally returned to his side, leaving Jane Bennett to be whisked back on to the floor by one of the militia officers.

"Loki, you are too serious sometimes," Thor slapped his brother in the chest, even Loki's dour mood failing to dampen either Thor's smile or his enthusiasm, " why should we not enjoy ourselves?"

"Because we have a task to complete? How is any of this helping to find the infinity stone?"

"We are making connections! Such social interactions could provide valuable information...the music is quite charming and some of these ladies are uncommonly pretty." Thor's gaze was following the elder Miss Bennett's movements around the floor with no little interest.

"I believe you have been dancing with the only handsome girl in the room."

"I would not be so fastidious as you for the entire realm of Asgard! Upon my honour I have never met with so many pleasant girls in all my life though Jane is the most beautiful creature that I ever laid eyes upon. But one of her sisters is sitting nearby who is very pretty and I dare say very agreeable. Why not dance with her?"

"Which do you mean?" Loki turned his head and met eye to eye for the third time with Elizabeth though he snatched his gaze away sharply enough. "She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me and I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You had better return to your partner and her smiles for you are wasting your time with me."

Mr Bingley followed Mr Darcey's advice and Mr Darcey himself walked away leaving Elizabeth who had been unlucky enough to be within earshot of the entire conversation - to tell the tale with some amusement to her friends. Her lively demeanour took great delight in ridiculous things and she was sure that Mr Darcy was of such an unpleasant disposition that she took no great offence from his slight.

Mrs Bennett, however, took all the offence she could later in recounting the tale to Mr Bennett when finding him still up on their return to Longbourn.

"Mr Bingley is a most agreeable young man, Mr Bennett, most agreeable and shall I tell you his income?"

"You want to tell me and I have no objection to hearing it." Mr Bennett had long since learned when and when not to indulge his wife.

"Mrs Philips said he has five thousand a year! Can you imagine? And he danced with our Jane for two dances - it is unheard of but he would stand up with no other if she did not oblige him, and his friend, Mr Darcy, it seems, is even richer with ten thousand a year. A most handsome man but proud and disagreeable, there was no enduring him. He fancied himself much greater than he is and he slighted our Lizzie you know!"

"Is this true, Lizzie, were you slighted?"

"Barely, papa. I did not much like him either so it was no great loss." Lizzie smiled warmly at her father in reassurance.

"Well then he can be of no consequence to us if his taste is so poor, " Mr Bennett held his favourite daughter's hand and patted it, " he can hardly be worthy of any merit at all."


End file.
